Trio of Two
by smartdumdum
Summary: This is loosely based off Ocean Girl.


** Chapter 1 **

** Joy's POV**

** Okay, let me be straight and to the point. I'm moving to the Blue Ridge mountains in North Georgia. Yay! Can't wait. To get back to civilization! I know, my name totally doesn't suit me. You probably guessed this, but my name is Joy. I have an annoying 4 year old brother named Chase. I'm 10 years old. **

** I have a bleach blond pixie cut and the sort of grey eyes that are light grey with a dark ring around them. Like Alexandra Daddario. Lots of people say it's creepy. It's also the opposite of my BFF. Aria is autistic, has golden orange hair and blue eyes, with a sunny disposition and happy personality. Well, they say opposites attract. **

** I hate the "Great Outdoors". In my opinion, It'll be great when it's run out of spiders and mosquitos and bees and snakes and scorpions and poison ivy and thorny plants and grubs. See? Hate it. Back to the point. I have to move there. In late summer. I will spontaneously combust from the heat! Georgia is famous for heat! GGAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!**

** My mom is always saying to look for the best of things. As far as being dragged to the middle of empty woods by your own parents goes, that's pretty much impossible. On moving day, it was absolute chaos. I didn't really help, but I'm doing this entire thing against my will, so they can't expect much. We are moving to the middle of nowhere, so ****_naturally_**** the movers got lost. Then, when we finally got everything there, nobody could find anything. My dog Sierra started running all over the place and eventually just ran off into the woods to chase some random squirrel. Were we speaking of Chase? No? Well, speaking of Chase-**

**"I'm bored," he whined. **

**I rolled my eyes, and contributed a grumpy thought, Let me guess, you're hungry? And, hmm, tired? What's new? **

**"Suck it up, all of us are," I replied harshly."You're not the only one who doesn't want to be here. No Wifi, hardly any cell reception, I think I'll kill myself now to save somebody the trouble later."**

**"You don't have a cell phone!" He exclaimed triumphantly.**

** "Just shut up, twerp." I grumbled.**

** I know, I'm such a bright ray of sunshine.**

** I haughtily began hauling my dolls to my room. My bunk beds were already set up, the trundles put in place. The dresser was in between them, and the closet was on the opposite side of the room. Confession time: I immediately dragged the dresser across the room so it was next to the closet. My desk was more important than some dumb pink dresser, so I dumped my dolls on the bed and dashed outside to get the old wooden roll top desk that I'd had half my life. It was really light, so I brought it to my room without much trouble. I placed it reverently against the wall, and rolled up the top to reveal my stuff in a total mess. Papers floated out onto the floor and a variety of pencils, pens, and markers rolled around. Last but not least, one of my drawers opened, exposing a family of mice to the light. I shrieked. Luckily, I had time to yell not to come running and panicked. I started organizing the papers and picking up the pens and pencils. I got my iPad out of a drawer and turned on some cleaning music. Battlefield by Jordan Sparks. Eh, close enough. **

**"The Cabin," as my family had dubbed it, (I know, so original.), was small. When you walked into the door, you were in the living room/dining room, with a room Mom called the Bonus Room next to it. Then if you went about 15 feet ahead, you would be right in front of the bar counter, which separated the dining room form the kitchen, which was about as big as a mini van as far as floor space went. There goes any family meals. If you turned left, you'd see the huge wraparound porch. On the right was a hall with a bathroom and a pantry. At the end was a room painted baby blue with two twin beds. Oh gods! Chase could have friends over! I consoled myself with the fact that I had two bunk beds and I could have sleepover parties. **

** I took a deep breath and took a right, just to find myself face to face with a plain boring wood door. I really needed to decorate it. First, of course, I needed a plot for my book. Oh, sorry. My dream is to become an author. Everyone says that I have a good way with words. But I'd much rather have an imagination. All I need is a good plot. Something original, never before seen. Like the Madeline L'Engle books. A good, unique story. Unless you have a plot idea, a way with words is pretty much useless. You have to have both. I **

** Unfortunatly, I can't write a story about a girl named Joy who lived in Atlanta, Georgia and was forced to move away from her autistic BFF in all her fiery red haired glory and wifi to the wilderness. You know, my life would make a great book. Of course, with my attitude towards it, I would never be allowed to publish it. Besides, that would reveal my feelings, and thats the last thing I need. **

** When life gives me lemons, I try to make lemonade, but I always end up with a salty doughy mess.( I managed this by getting the powdered sugar confused with the salt and flour. Once, when Dad was trying to make pancakes, it happened the other way around. Oops!) My point is, no matter how hard I try, I always manage to mess up. Keeping it from happening is like keeping the tide from moving. It's just not ever going to happen, no matter what you try. I think you get the gist. **

** Anyways, another bad thing about the cabin was that instead of a heater there was a fireplace. So, naturally I was the lucky(not!) one who had to go get ten pounds of kindling. As I stomped outside with a ratty straw basket in tow, I saw something move under a bent tree near the porch. Of course, being me, I forgot completely about the kindling and ran over to check it out. I reached it just to see a girl my age run off into the woods at-well, I think it was something around light speed. I tried to call out to her,**

**"I'm Joy! Who are you?" **

**I figured I'd look around, since I obviously couldn't catch her. **

** All I could see was that she had long black hair and brown skin. She looked Native American. Then, I decided to start collecting kindling so I could think. Okay. Kaya was my favorite. The girl looked Native American. I wanted a book topic. Wow, all this time my book topic has been slapping me in the face and I haven't even given it a second glance. **

** I know! I've got it! Gods, now is the worst time for me to rely on books! The nearest library is like fifteen miles away, and I obviously couldn't depend on wifi. I feel sorry for Laura Ingalls and Caddie Woodlawn. Oh well, at least I could go to the library and use their possibly nonexistent computers. **

** Suddenly, I realized my hand was bleeding. All this time I had been grabbing at thorny brambles! I had been so lost in thought that I hadn't even felt the stinging, well, almost burning, pain. Quite a bit of the skin on my palm was torn up. Well, of course, you don't wanna hear the details, so here goes! Part of my palm had several gashes, like my hand was scraping against the thorns. My hand was covered in blood, which was starting to dry in a crust over some of my hand, and the rest was running down my arm and staining my shirt. I was frankly very upset. That used to be my favorite shirt. On the other hand, it was just plain white with a design on the back, so I could get a jacket to cover it up and a plain one, then fake a bloody nose, ask to go to the bathroom, switch shirts, and be excused from class for the rest of the day. I probably wouldn't be able to do much with that hand for a while anyway, and I was right handed, so writing was out of the question. Oopsy daisy!**

** I hurriedly picked up a 5 foot long stick and clumsily broke it into ten or so pieces with my left hand and my foot. I stuffed them into the basket and ran inside. "Finally have a plot for a book leave me alone until tomorrow morning I'm not hungry just don't bother me," I said in a rush as I threw the basket into my brother's lap, dashed to the bathroom to get the already-unpacked-just-in-case-I-set-a-poisonous-sn ake-on-Chase medical kit and some bandages and sped into my room, slamming the door. My Mom banged on the door and yelled at me to come out so my dad could look at my bloody hand, but I had locked the door, though not without fumbling, and ignoring people is one of my many, many, many, many, many talents.**

** You probably realized this, but I haven't had a good plot since, well, ever. With something like this, I could make a new classic. I ran around my room wildly looking for my 4th grade Social Studies textbook from last year. I finally found it in between my Math Journal and Chinese Notebook. My old school taught Chinese and it was awesome. Right! Native American stuff! Let's see! Okay, page forty two. **

**_The Creek (known as the Muskogee today) arranged their towns around a council house, or a "chokofa". Family homes were wattle and daub huts, which are made from poles covered in grass, mud, or thatch._**

** Okay, that was a start. Umm, alright, Creek Confederacy. I read for a bit longer, then figured I had enough to start. I sighed, and, making sure the coast was clear, snuck out to wash the blood off my hand. I went to the bathroom sink, keeping an ear out, and got out a big washtub that was substituting for the invisible bathtub. I filled it and dragged it back to my room one handed, thanking Morpheus that Chase is a REM sleeper. **

** Once it was safely in my room, I washed off my arm and picked off the scabs. I refused to cause more pain in the hands of rubbing alcohol, so I rinsed the wounds, dug out the thorns, and bandaged up my arm. When I was eight I wanted to become a doctor, so I started by learning about wounds like this. I'm very thankful my parents supported that idea. My dad, who's a doctor, even helped. I collapsed on the lower bunk of one of the beds to get some sleep before tonight's main event.**

* * *

** Rhea's POV**

** Today, a new family moved in the abandoned hut. I hid in the cover of weeds and watched a girl with a pale face and pale hair and eyes of grey go into house. Oddly, she appeared ten years of age, like me. She came out again, and went to the thing with wheels.**

** She got many dolls out, but they were not like the ones the young girls of the tribe play with. They seemed to be made of white or green clay, and some wore big colorful dresses of shiny material. I was comforted to see a doll that was brown like me. I found it odd though that a girl who was perfectly able was still playing with dolls. **

** I then realized she was talking. "Just shut up, twerp", she grumbled. Twerp laughed gleefully. What an odd family.**

** I am worried. The pale people are now living right in the middle of the tribe. The little ones might play with Twerp, she called him, who would tell his parents. I decided that tomorrow I would go to the council. The legend of the first Trail of Tears is bad , and I cannot move away. This is the home of the tribe. I apologize. I have not introduced myself. My name is Nektosha Kayatonma. Nektosha is Potowatamic, meaning horse. Kaya is Nez Percé and I believe that means she who moves rocks. To most I am known as Rhea, a name from the stable lady. I am ten years of age. Anyway, today in the late afternoon or evening, the tribe's existence was threatened. **

** I had ended a dinner of pecans that had been harvested before usual, and I was lying down in my floor of pine needles to go to bed beforehand, for I had a long journey ahead of me the next day. Suddenly, I heard a crunch, and peered out of my door. The pale girl was quietly creeping up. Suddenly she rushed over and said,**

**"I'm Joy. Who are you?"**

** Thankfully, I had run. At first, I panicked. She saw me! I have betrayed the tribe! Once I had calmed down, I thought about it. Something would have to be done. I realized that I would have to give details to the council. I hoped that they would just make me care for the children of the tribe and have it over are good at hiding. I knew we would be fine. But this Joy girl knows much already. * * * **

** I ran back to my home and looked around. My pecans were moved, and my blackberries were missing. my floor was in pieces. Joy was very inconsiderate. My cozy home was history. That was the worst night of my life. Joy was not my favorite person.**

** In the morning before sunrise I went to gather more blackberries from the bush next to the hut. There I found more pecans. We of the tribe are very fortunate, for the ones who descend from Creek and Cherokee know the food we can find and hunt. Men were the ones to hunt, but after we began moving at the age of nine, we all hunted. **

** We use bow and arrows often. We hunt rabbits, but we mostly have deer and turkey in hunting season when they come here for refuge. I almost feel sorry to shoot them, but once I decided to stop and after a fortnight, I was all skin and bone. Squirrels are also very good, though hard to shoot. We use bones to makes knives and hooks for fishing. Though I mostly eat meat, mushrooms are often dinner when on a trip. Sometimes when others come, I make dandelion salad with wild blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, pokeweed, mushrooms, wild onions, and the occasional potato. It's very good.**

** I ran back to my home to get my bow and arrows. I dashed into they forest, gazing at the dewdrops on the spiderwebs. They were shining in the rising sun, and I stopped and stared before realizing a squirrel was sitting a foot away. I got an arrow and shot him quickly. He was very cute. In another few minutes, a raccoon and a bird had been shot. They would be put aside for winter. The sun had risen, so I went home and found my clay pot, fishing hooks, trading goods, and bone spear. Then, I went to the river.**

** Every morning all of the tribe went to the stream. The different years of older children went to different parts. This was because they settled in the same areas so they could be close to their friends, so they were close to the same parts of the stream. Nobody settles with older people. They would be alone. Everyone meets at the stream, and that is where we talk, trade, fish, and much more. It is like one of the plazas of the Creek and Cherokee.**

** I met Sara at the river with Samantha. We all use our English names for each other. We were soon joined by Elise, Tybee, Julia, Sofia, Bianca, Marie, Kristen, Joi, Capri, and all the other girls. I traded a clay bead bracelet for a pair of fur moccasins that Marie made. She is craftsman, and eats the animals she hunt, but makes things out of the bones and fur and trades those for food, so she mainly gathers. Bianca is also a craftsman, and she and Marie are very good friends. They are almost exactly the same.**

** Bianca exchanged a pair of fur mittens, a fur cap, and a deerskins adding up to twice my size for my bird, and she looked like she knew those feathers would be of use. The bright, silky, sky blue feathers would be valuable for clothing, or she wouldn't have traded that much.. Sofia got my other five bracelets for ****_her_**** cardinal. I would use the feathers to stuff the pillow for the bed I am making. Some who went to the homes of the pale people spoke of big pillows called beds, with small pillows to put their head on. I wanted to attempt to make one. After all, I am very good at sewing and carving. **

** I traded two buck horns for two jars from Joi for storing berries in winter, and Elise asked if I had any mushrooms. Kristen gave me bone earrings for a knife. Samantha was trading furs for food. She always planned ahead, and she started fur hunting the second she could. She was planning food storage, and we agreed to meet at my home to make berry jam. My final trades were with Tybee and Julia for sinew and a clay cup. My honeysuckle was still fresh, but it was worth it. They will enjoy it, and I will be able to make a coat for the long winter ahead.**

** Some of the boys were still fishing, but me and Capri pushed through. The boys and the girls regarded themselves as different species. This was unusual, but when Samantha has reached food gathering, most of us try to fatten up so we won't be as hungry when we put food away for winter. We didn't care about what everyone else thought. **

** I speared three bass, and Capri, who is an expert fisherman, got five trout and seven herring. The other girls joined us midway, and were amazed at the many fish Capri caught. She is very talented.**

** I went home and had bass for breakfast. It was delicious. Sara came over and Brooke came as well. They once traded enough with the stable lady to get a goat each. Therefore, they are the only ones with milk. Sara and I are good friends, so often I don't have to trade for milk. However, I decided to give them some bass. They thanked me and gave me a jug of goat milk before going on their way to Joi. **

** I was rather bored, so I went to the stable. We are allowed to use the horses any time we wish to, so I got out Faery. Karli, a girl who helped out at the stable, was grooming Lampshade. The stable lady came out and greeted me.**

** The stable lady is like my second mother. She cared for me since I was five, and she told me the story of Faery's name. Faery was jumpy and always flying about in a dither until I trained her. When I asked what a Faery was, she replied with every tale of fairies ever heard. Faery is my favorite horse. We grew up together. She knows what to do before I tell her, yet I am the only one who can ride her. **

** The stable lady gave me a lesson for writing, and taught me my name and Faery's name. I carved it on her stall. I visit the stable most often, and I know enough English to have a normal conversation.**

** It is odd, each of the horses have a few boys and girls from each age who always ride them. All but Faery. Faery is mine only. I swung on and saw Eris. She was named for goddess of evil and it is a position that fits her. I warmed Faery up, and we cantered into the woods. As long as we didn't lose the horses and got them back an hour before their meals, we could ride them anywhere. I had only ridden Faery to my home once, but I decided to go again. We weaved in between trees at the gallop. We arrived fast. I dismounted, and let Faery poke her head tried to eat the floor.**

**"No, Faery! Joy already messed it up, not you as well!"**

**Faery nickered. I patted her flank. She snorted. She seemed offended that I had no treat for her. I gave her some dandelion greens and led her to the stream for water. She sprayed me. I bent down and splashed her. She pushed me in. I gave a war whoop, and splashed her all over. She came in and all you could see was water spray and the odd tail. Then I heard something. It was Walt. I spoke in our tongue.**

**"Have you been spying on us?"**

**"Isn't it only you?"**

**"Faery is here as well."**

**"I just saw you leave the stables and wanted to see what you were doing. Why are you always with that dumb horse?"**

**"Faery and I grew up together. Besides, who else can ride her without getting a broken spine?"**

**"I bet I can."**

**"I can beat you in a race on any horse in the barn."**

**"Fine. Let's race tomorrow after going to the stream. I'll be on Faery."**

**"I don't hate you that much."**

**"Coward."**

**"Tomorrow then."**

**With that, I mounted and galloped off, sheets of water flying in the wind, really hoping I looked intimidating.**


End file.
